Fashion,Style & Beauty on Fashion Girls

Alexander McQueen’s selfish leaving caught us completely off guard. He left his short career in the British bold style impression which make people endlessly linger. The ‘Eternal Alexander McQueen’ is the last comfort we can give.

The brand new 2010 autumn and winter haute couture series become the final work of Alexander McQueen. He left without showing of his another inspiration, which aroused the sorrow of the entire fashion world. American “Vogue” editor Anna Wintour signed, “From the street style to music culture, and even to the museum collections around the world, we can see the spirit and impact of Alexander McQueen. He is one of the most talented designers of this generation in the world. It was him who took the dauntless British style to the fashion arena.”

March 9, 10, Alexander McQueen 2010 Winter Fashion Show will be exhibited in Paris in the form of Sharon, and the specific address will be sent to the specific people invited temporarily.

McQueen’s parent company Gucci Group said that it will continue to support the development of Alexander McQueen brand. Gucci Group CEO Robert Polet said firmly.” “We are convinced of the brand’s future.” It seems that although the passing of Alexander McQueen gets his fashion week sentimental, Gucci Group is still bent on the career development.

Fashion weeks again, in fashion it seems that we always live ahead of time, so it’s spring in fashion, and we need to check out what we should wear then. The cat walk’s always the best place to find trend and to get daily wearing inspirations, so just when we all thought that white would be the color for spring 2011, changes happen (like always).

Leave it to Miuccia Prada to say fuck it to this season’s trend of all-white show openers. The first look out was blindingly bright orange, setting the tone for a neon color palette of hot pink, lime green and fluorescent yellow.

While many designers have looked to the ’70s for spring 2011, Prada’s DayGlo color palette was the only thing remotely ’70s-inspired about her show. Instead, she went south to Mexico and Cuba and Brazil and maybe Puerto Rico, too. Form-fitting dresses with drop-waist ruffled hems looked like a modern, tripped-out interpretation of something Anita might wear in West Side Story. Oversized striped sombreros hung down models’ backs. Monkeys, bananas, and the Chiquita banana lady (OK, it wasn’t really her) were printed and embroidered on dresses and tops. And there were hints of the ’20s, too, in the models’ hair, styled in finger waves, and the decadent fur stoles each model carried (though when the stoles are neon and striped like the tail of an acid-tripping Cheshire cat it makes the ’20s reference less linear). It’s hard to pin this collection to any distinct decade because it was so modern and bright and forward-thinking.

In stark contrast to the neon stripes and South American-style embroidery that dominated the runway, the last six looks were simple little black dresses–tent dresses cut low in the back (and some in the front, too) that were so delicate they recalled Andy Warhol’s paper dress, and long-sleeved knee-length lbd’s with prudish ruffled collars.

Anna Dello Russo was wearing a watermelon on her head in the front row [which she also wore to Marc Jacobs] but we wouldn’t be surprised if she goes all out and wears a whole basket of fruit on her head next, Chiquita banana-style, after this show. After all, Miuccia Prada was wearing banana earrings when she came out to take her bow.

OK, I love bananas even more now! Runway shows are always exciting, full of fun and inspirations.

Spring’s always the perfect season, and the golden season for fashion. Spring fashion has always been one of the favorite of mine, whether floral, light, colorful or just plain ethereal, I love the happy spring feeling. So, to me the Fendi Spring 2011 isn’t really so smoking hot as they exclaimed, and don’t get me wrong, I love it!

And news from Milan–”FENDI is the burning summer of passion” the line sheet read for Fendi’s Spring/Summer 2011 show. To that effect, the set looked like paper that had been burned, the soundtrack was essentially a woman panting set to a beat, a burnt pattern ran across the hem of several pieces, and billowy geometric cut lantern sleeves on dresses on tunic tops dominated the runway.

Karl Lagerfeld’s collection for Fendi was gorgeous and sultry and the women who wear these pieces will bring boys to their knees. Though it wasn’t an in-your-face kind of sexy (which is usually the best kind). Despite the whole “burning summer of passion” note dresses weren’t skin tight, and skirts were not short, but they were suggestive. Tulip skirts were wrapped with a small slit at the front. Long belted dresses with drawstring boat necks and strapless peasant tops emphasized the collar bone. Colors were rich and saturated: There were deep purples, periwinkle blues, orange-y reds and dark khaki set against optical dot prints.

The Fendi spring fashion’s really beautiful, and very appealing, that really makes want spring to come quickly! In short, this is how I’ll be aspiring to dress next spring and summer. How about you?

If you love mismatched outfits, and if you love odd cuts and seam, then you absolute should take a look at the Michael van der Ham Spring 2011 collections, and check out the weirdly but artfully mixed media in this remarkable collection.

You can’t consider Michael van der Ham without considering Rodarte. The Los Angeles-based sisters’ influence on the Netherlands-born designer is undeniable when you look at his Spring 2011 collection, shown yesterday at the Topshop space in Waterloo Station.

But van der Ham does something with his clothes that the Rodarte sisters have difficulty pulling off: Despite the mismatched prints and odd seam placement, his collection always looks clean, polished and pretty. I was particularly fond of the summer velvet Pollini shoes he used in the show, as well as the very unique colored crystals he incorporated into his looks. (As a Swarovski sponsored designer, van der Ham had access to the company’s vast crystal archive. However, not all of his peers utilize this privilege in such an impressive way.)

I love all the pieces in this new collection, especially these fabulous dresses, they’re just totally eye-catching, and love the bright color match too! All in all, this is a collection of fun and elegance!

Fashion Months are always really full of surprise, every girl love it! We can always find so many outfits we love, and what we love the most is those totally covet dresses, like these Osman’s beautiful new cuts, but sadly they still come out flat.

There’s something about the BFC tent at Somerset House that’s wild. I’m not sure if it’s the stark black walls juxtaposed against the brightly light catwalk or the hoards of students circling around the entrances. But it feels crazy. Or maybe I’m just crazy, which is also quite possible at this point in Fashion Month.

Celebrated designer Osman Yousefzada’s clothes, which he showed yesterday in the space, are not crazy or schizophrenic under any circumstances. His pieces are all about the dramatic, clean cut. Most definitely a minimalist, he adds edge to ensembles with an asymmetric hem here, a flourish of flouncy fabric there. It’s really difficult to deny his particular genius.

But one thing Yousefzada lacks is plenty of funding. And unfortunately, that shows in the clothes. Minimalist fashion is often considered more challenging than the over-the-top variety, simply because mistakes are difficult to hide. While his cuts are spectacular, the fabric Yousefzada uses doesn’t have the same impact, which gives buyers little reason to bring him on. If the dress isn’t going to look good next to a Raf Simon’s piece, no one is going to spend money on it.

Many have said that Yousefzada is the rising star of UK fashion, and we could believe it. His swinging dresses and rounded hems were a welcome change to the gaggle of prints that have been coming down the runway this season. Hopefully he’ll be rewarded with some support next year to create even more beautiful clothes.

It is really a pity that Osman’s amazing cuts didn’t get what they actually deserve, I would so love to see them in stores.

A little masculine is like always a trend for autumn, leather outfits and accessories are like perfect for fall. When it comes to leather, I can always think of a cool styled lady on the back seat of a motorcycle! And now let’s think of the new Helmut Lang accessories as biker jackets you can carry, then you’ll have the coolest looks ever!

“Our philosophy,” says Nicole Colovos, who, along with husband Michael, makes up the design partnership behind Helmut Lang, “is to create luxurious pieces with an edge.” So, if it works, why not think the same way with their first accessories collection? “The bags are inspired by motorcycle jackets,” Colovos says of the tough creta leather, buttery soft napa, and perch skin purses with multiple zips and pockets. But look closer and you’ll discover a little more about the pair who came up with them: Shark’s tooth buckles and tightly braided fisherman’s handles allude to Michael’s previous career as a commercial fisherman, while every option from clutches, messengers, hobos and overnight weekenders reveal Nicole’s love of utilitarian functionality.

That’s not the only thing to look forward to this spring. Although the classic Langian silhouettes are much in evidence—cropped leather jackets, slouchy pants, and tuxedo blazers—more dresses have been added. Digitally enhanced grayscale, tangerine, and vermillion graphic patterns appear on breezy halter necks and asymmetrical summery dresses, inspired by the curvilinear landscapes and shades found in photographer Edward Burtynsky’s book Oil. What links the bags so seamlessly with the collection is the duo’s penchant for layering. Unzip one clutch and it becomes a handle-less handbag that a second clutch will fit inside. That solves the dilemma of which bag to carry, leaving us only to decide: which dress to wear?

I am not fond really fond of these clutches, but I love those handbags and cross-body bags and shoulder bags, they’re totally amazing, I would love to carry them every day this fall.

Eye-popping prints are welcomed everywhere lately, it looks that people now want to hold a prints party on themselves.

I love the beautiful style, it looks so happy and light, so great for summer and spring. Moreover, if it’s small in size, it can be the eye-popping spot in autumn and even cold winter! Let’s check out these gorgeous sandals!

When you’re known for mixing brilliant, eye-popping African prints, no reason to stop at the ankle. For their Spring 2011 presentation yesterday, Max Osterweis and Erin Beatty debuted their two collaborative styles with Loeffler Randall, each using textiles from the duo’s collection. Our favorite was the wood-bottomed Erin sandal (no relation, as it were, to Beatty), which got dressed up in floral, kanga-inspired printed cotton canvas.

I totally love the happy print, and the wooden bottom looks just graceful! The style is really amazing, it’ll make your foot glare at any occasion. It goes on sale at Opening Ceremony and online at loefflerrandall.com this February.

As the wind of vintage fashion blows all over the world, maybe it is time for us to think old with jewelries, that’s a new area in fashion jewelry section. In this new process we’re very lucky to have Monique Péan with us, her new jewelry collection is going to make Fossils look new and totally glamorous!

One of the wave of eco-sensitive designers, Monique Péan, whose first solo presentation happened lately, is thinking very, very old. “I love specimens,” says Péan, who incorporated fossilized woolly mammoth and walrus ivory as well as sustainable pearls into her spring 2011 collection.

“I like discovering pieces in their natural environment and working around them rather than polishing the stones.” The results? Every piece is unique and perfectly imperfect, only adding to its charm.

Focusing on a different local artisan from around the globe with each collection, the jeweler went to Ahe in French Polynesia for her latest venture. “They do sustainable pearl farming and repurpose shells into jewelry,” she explains, gesturing towards the delicate-looking pastel-colored beads that artisans have etched with scrimshaw designs and the café au lait and jade stones that have been turned into necklaces and rings. “I was inspired by the creamy tones in Paul Gauguin’s work from his trip there, but also the movement and flow of the waves.”

Using recycled gold — “When you mine new gold it pollutes the water system”— and conflict-free diamond details, Péan’s collection does that rare thing: improve on nature.

This may be a new fashion trend, or may not be, but I totally love this, they look just gorgeous and very appealing to me! If you love those beaded bracelets that have made their way in the summer, then I guess you’ll love this new jewelry collection even more!

As we all know now details matter a lot, fashion’s all about amazing details. This has made accessories very important in fashion styles, so scarves as we all love has possessed a very important position in fashion now. Thanks to Prova, the carves are now getting an evolution! These amazing scarves from Prova will make a whole new gorgeous impression to your wardrobe!

Since Irini Arakas of Prova turned her hand to scarves two years ago, the jewelry designer has helped reposition the humble accessory as that pivotal piece capable of reinvigorating an entire wardrobe.

Now in her fourth season, the former Vogue fashion writer is pushing the pizzazz in an even more mood-brightening direction, developing colorful custom patterns to add to the signature beadwork, and experimenting with print-on-print action in a new long and lean form. “I have all these wonderful memories from being in Greece, seeing motorcycle families who use long, skinny scarves to keep the sand out of their faces,” says Arakas, who will be debuting the spring 2011 collection alongside her jewelry at Fashion Week. She’s named the scarves after exotic islands and surf hideaways, and the gauzy, weather-worn cotton looks like it might have been basking under a tropical sun. Even the smallest details are informed by wanderlust, including a micro floral print that was inspired by the designer’s favorite beach sarong.

I love traveling, and I’m really looking forward to take these amazing scarves on my trips!

All women love to dress beautifully, and I used to think that the most enjoyable work in the whole world is being a stylist. Being a stylist is like in heaven, it only requires you to be talented in styling! But after reading Sally’s Styling Seminary, I know that I’m terribly wrong, there’s a hell lot more things to concern about other than styling. So I’m sharing this article with you now, to know more about how to set up a styling business.

This week I’m writing about something you might think is boring, but, like a workout regimen, it’s a necessary evil: Setting up a stylist’s business.

I am a total geek and love working on the business side of my styling practice, but I know most stylists want to be creative and not even think about the biz operations. At the end of the day, being a successful stylist means being the CEO of your own company. Several of the best stylists I have met are incredibly business savvy.

New stylists or assistants working freelance must research the role of CEO. Hello 1099s. You are self-employed, so find out if registering as a company with an LLC can help with your taxes. CEOs of small businesses function differently than those of large corporations, but you must understand the responsibilities. So I did homework to understand the responsibilities of a CEO. Once a CEO/stylist designs a vision for the company, the stylist uses that vision to come up with strategies to achieve it. (For example, what magazines should you work with? Or how much can you raise your rate per year?) CEOs are responsible for designing a “vision” for their business and for choosing a competent and trustworthy team of experts to advise them in business-related matters. The team of experts a CEO/stylist hires is extremely important to the stylist’s success. As soon as you can, I recommend hiring a lawyer, CPA, bookkeeper and agent.

Lawyers are expensive but worth it. A lawyer can save a stylist thousands of dollars and keep he/she on track to make career choices that mesh with his/her company’s vision. A great lawyer becomes an important adviser to call upon when new clients and contracts appear. (Being realistic, I wasn’t able to afford my amazing lawyer until last year, and my career is six years in the making.) Before I hired my lawyer, I worked with companies, like legalzoom.com, to get documents drafted and to get advice on handling new client contracts. (Stylist agents can also help with legal advice, but be careful, he/she might have a hidden agenda.) A great lawyer can also help a stylist build a team of business experts. My lawyer has recommended me to brilliant professionals who work with me on my taxes, financials and savings.

Stylists will also need the help of experts in the worlds of accounting and finance. My CPA and bookkeeper show me where I am making financial mistakes (”I spent how much on that magazine shoot? OF MY OWN MONEY?!”), and where and how I can save money. Bookkeepers are genius because they teach me how to predict my future income so I can figure out how to save and invest for future projects. When I was hiring my CPA and bookkeeper, I got solid references from other companies. I needed to trust the CPA and bookkeeper completely; complete transparency is key when working with these roles.

And finally, in terms of experts, we come to the styling agent. A stylist’s agent just might be the most important person to have on a stylist’s side. I love my agent. One moment he’s a strategist, thinking about my long-term goals; the next he is playing hardball with our clients and confirming contracts. Sometimes he just babysits me via phone when I’m abroad and totally bored. But it took five years to find him! I had to meet with a lot of people. I had to pound the pavement for months with tear sheets from my first shoots in tow.

When I started looking for an agent and agency, I had five specific concerns:

1. That the agency and agent represented stylists and other artists I respected and liked. Being part of a roster at an agency is like being part of a big umbrella company, and it can make or break a stylist’s identity.

2. That my agent had worked with stylists who had careers similar to the one I wanted for myself. I knew if my agent had never booked another stylist $250k worth of work in one year, the agent was never going to be able to do it for me. I was careful to choose an agent who had the capacity and “track record” to think and act with me in a way that would meet my creative and monetary goals.

3. That my agent could talk about money! I initially worked with an agent who hated to talk about it. How could he negotiate a major contract with one of my clients if he couldn’t even remember (or write down somewhere?!) my wardrobe budget? A good agent has no problems dealing with money, speaking about it or negotiating for it!

4. That my agent understood my “vision” and aesthetic. I was and am styling for a certain type of man or woman, and I need to make sure my agent supports my vision.

5. That my agent was OCD in terms of organization! Stylists have so many jobs and working parts, and the agent has to keep it all together. If my agent isn’t organized, I’m a mess.

There is so much more to learn about running a business, and I highly recommend to everyone, especially stylists, to learn, learn, learn! Read business books and get as much expert help and advice as you can. I started my business six years ago, and I still feel like I haven’t even begun to have it all down. But it’s always a good time to get out there, get started and never stop learning!

So, the end of the article, but not the end of a style lover’s learning road. Guess we all need to learn more and more about the thing that we all love.